June is one tough month for local runners

Sunday

May 27, 2007 at 5:39 AMMay 27, 2007 at 5:41 AM

Time for my annual preview of what I call the toughest month of racing. By coincidence the month of June offers unique challenges to runners and multisport athletes who take part in events in the Granite State. Part of the difficulty of the races that are held in June is the weather. Quite often June has been the beginning of the real hot weather. Combine that with the difficult races and folks are really put to the test. Let me show you.

Weekend 1, June 2-3: New England Runner Magazine calls the Jackson Covered Bridges 10K the toughest 10K in the six-state region. Considering how many 10Ks there are in New England that is quite a claim but runners who have completed the Jackson race won't argue. The first two miles are not just uphill they are up a very steep hill. This first hill is so difficult that no one talks about the fifth mile on the course, which is not too shabby, but seems like nothing compared to the first two. Weather played a factor in the 2005 Jackson race. With temps in the high 80s folks really struggled. By coincidence that was also the year Jackson Covered Bridges was part of the NH Grand Prix, bringing in more runners than usual and creating quite a bit of conversation on the NH running scene. A lot of folks were running the race for the first time and had no idea what they were in for before it was too late.

Running New England's toughest 10K is one thing but how about the challenge of an International Distance Triathlon? Or, to make it even more interesting, how about a half-iron triathlon. While runners attack Jackson triathletes will in Bristol for the Mooseman Triathlon Festival. The International Distance (1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) takes place on Saturday, June 2. One day later it's the half-iron (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run). The difficulty of completing a triathlon of any distance speaks for itself. Increase the distance for short course or sprint (approx.: 3-mile swim, 15-mile bike, 3-mile run) to International or Half-iron, throw in some heat, and, you get the picture. Consider this: when competing in a half-iron a lot of athletes don't begin their 13.1-mile run until the middle of the morning, sometimes later. They have already completed the swim and bike, it is June, and now the athletes must run their half-marathon. Like I said, you get the picture. The Mooseman Triathlon races are quite a test of endurance.

A shorter duathlon will also test an athlete's endurance which is why a few hundred will probably head to Rye on June 2 for the Rye-By-The Sea Duathlon/5K/10K races. The Duathlon is a run/bike/run of 3 miles, 15 miles, and 3 miles. That may seem easy to a triathlete but you try it.

Oh yeah, June 3 is the date for the Pack Monadnock 10 Miler.

Weekend 2, June 9: It's not as challenging as the Jackson race but the Market Square Day 10K is not an easy run. Once again, heat plays a factor. Just ask the 1200 or so runners and walkers who completed the race two years ago when temps were in the 90's and the humidity was as thick as it could be.

Quick aside: I have always felt 10Ks were as tough a distance to race as any other. There are too short to run slow and too long to run fast. Huh? You have to run fairly fast but not so fast that you have nothing left for the end. The 10K distance is not easy

Weekend 3, June 16: If I think 6.2 miles is a challenge what's my position on 7.6 miles? If the course is flat, I'm fine. If there is one hill, I'll deal with it. If the one hill is all there is at the race, that's another thing. The third week of June means it's time for the Mt. Washington Road Race. Folks, if you have never been on the road you don't understand so I will try to explain. The road constantly goes up at an average of 11 percent and the weather can be downright nasty. It is a running challenge unlike any other.

Weekend 4, June 24: Mt. Washington wasn't enough for you? Good, you can go back to the White Mountains area one week later and run the Cranmore Hill Climb, which is serving as the USA Mountain Running Championship in 2007. It is a 13K for the men, an 8K for the women. The Cranmore Hill Climb is not as tough as Mt. Washington but it is still a mountain run. I ran this race a couple of years ago when it was just three miles and I had a tough time.

If it makes you feel any better the last day of the month, June 30th, there isn't much going on. Across the border, in Maine, there is the Strawberry Festival 5 Miler, which always seems to be run on a very hot day.

ENJOY THE MONTH

Running shorts: On the other hand, June is also when the Hollis Apple 5K takes place. It is one of the fastest 5K's around…For those that want to run more conventional races next weekend there are 5K's in York and North Berwick, Maine…All in all, the weather wasn't bad last weekend. Forecasts of heavy rain were exaggerated and we had better weather for local races. Good thing, because there were four races in the Seacoast, including the new Kittery Fire Department 5K, won by Lewis Chamberlain and Beth Lindquist. Other winners last weekend included Jack Collopy and Danielle Amero at the Wakefield Pride Day 5K, Mark Coogan and Kathy Burley at the Exeter PTO 5K, and Nate Jenkins and Emily Raymond at the Bedford Rotary 12K, with Jenkins setting a course record. Another record was also set at the Bedford 12K as Laurence Olsen, a Massachusetts runner set a national 60 and over record. Final note from Bedford: Sin Kounlasa of Dover and Rochester's Diane Levesque ran the 12K then the 5K. Not bad for one morning of running.